Oscar Pistorius trial: Sentence due for Steenkamp killing

 

 Pistorius was cleared of murder but convicted him of culpable homicide

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is set to discover whether he faces a prison term for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Judge Thokozile Masipa has heard the prosecution call for a minimum 10-year sentence, against a defence argument for community service and house arrest.
Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide but cleared of murder.
On the eve of sentencing, Pistorius's siblings criticised the "twisted" and "sensationalised" media coverage.
His sister Aimee and brother Carl told a South African broadcaster the facts had been "twisted and manipulated".
'Lot of anxiety' Pistorius, 27, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
He says he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his house in the capital, Pretoria.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets fired by Pistorius through a toilet door.

On the eve of the sentencing, the Pistorius family said there was "a lot of anxiety" as the sentencing approached

Last month, Judge Masipa cleared Pistorius of murder, but convicted him of culpable homicide, saying he had been negligent.
The high-profile, seven-month trial has captured public attention in South Africa and beyond.
There is no legal limit on the length of a jail term, but experts say the typical maximum sentence for culpable homicide is around 15 years.
However, even after the sentence is announced in Pretoria, the case may not be over.
Both the prosecution and the defence have the right to appeal against the verdict.

 

Judge Masipa will rule in a trial that has captured public attention in South Africa and beyond

 

 Oscar Pistorius shot dead Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year

'No closure' On the eve of sentencing, Pistorius's sister, Aimee, told South African broadcaster eNCA there was "obviously a lot of anxiety" ahead of the sentencing, and that the past 20 months had been "very taxing".
She said she felt "heartache for both my brother, our family and of course [Reeva] Steenkamp's family and her friends".
Both families would struggle to move on, she said.
"It's something that you never really get closure on... It's something that my brother will carry with him for the rest of his life.
"It is important for us that [Ms Steenkamp's family] know that she was very much cared for and loved, and accepted as part of our family in the short time that she was with us... [Reeva] had a wonderful charisma and zest for life that she just exuded and it was easy to just fall in love with her.